Pump efficiency increases with larger RO trains
Pushing the boundaries of desalination efficiency
The role of advanced pump technology in the evolution of the desalination industry
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Over the past two decades , desalination plants have become bigger , more costeffective and twice as energy efficient . Innovations in pump technology from Sulzer have played a critical part in the transformation of the sector . Antonio de la Torre explores the advances in pumps that have supported the optimization of desalination plants .
The changing climate , rising populations , economic growth and increased urbanization are all contributing to water scarcity across much of the world . In recent decades , many regions have turned to seawater desalination to provide their populations with sufficient fresh water for agricultural , domestic and industrial purposes .
Previous innovation Surging demand has been the catalyst for continual innovation in the desalination industry , and there is no better example than the changes in the design and technology of seawater reverse osmosis ( SWRO ) plants since the beginning of the 21st Century .
In 2001 , a 50 ’ 000 m3 per day SWRO plant was considered quite large . While there were a few larger facilities in operation around the world , most were significantly smaller . An SWRO train with a capacity of 15 ’ 000 m3 per day was considered huge and Pelton turbines were the dominant energy recovery technology .
At the time , a high-pressure RO pump delivering 600 m3 per hour with an efficiency of 83 % was a considerable technical achievement .
An efficiency revolution 20 years on , the specific power consumption of SWRO plants has been reduced from 6 kWh per m3 to less than 3 kWh per m3 . Improvements in membrane performance and the use of new energy recovery devices have been crucial in that doubling of energy efficiency , but advances in pump technology have also played an important role .
As one of the world ’ s leading pump specialists , Sulzer has been involved in the RO sector for many decades . Constantly pushing the boundaries of pump design and providing reliable , high-performance equipment to major projects worldwide .
The use of wear parts made of polymeric materials with good tribological properties , for example , have enabled efficiency improvements of 2 % to 3 %. Advanced materials have also paved the way for the introduction of productlubricated bearings that require no